Help my blueberry bush doesn't look right

[Planet Midwife]

Hi All

I repotted my blueberry plant 2 weeks ago using the appropropriate soil and fertilizer (ericacious??sp) the one I found using the lovely advice on here. The pot is about 40cm wide and I mulched round the base once potted. I watered her..(it..lol) each time it looks dry, to the point where the water drains out the bottom. I feel the soil, if it feels dry, I water, we have had a couple of showers in between waterings also. The feed I used lasts the entire season so I have no further plans to feed.

The flowers bloomed beautifully but now some are brown and have fallen off, other are still appearing though, but also some of the leaves are wrinkling or browny / yellow at the edge. Majority are green but I don't want a potential problem, also some (very few) leaves look 'nibbled'.

Can anyone help me ...please...I love my blueberry bush!!

[Planet Midwife]

Anybody????

[Lesley Jay]

Hi PM, I know you have repotted the plant in ericaceous compost but have you tested the soil's ph level? Blueberries need a very acidic soil with a ph of 4.5 - 5.5 and ideally need watering with rainwater. Where the brown flowers are concerned, once fruit flowers are pollinated they do turn brown - my brother-in-law sawed a completely healthy branch off my Cox's Orange Pippin apple tree at weekend because he thought it was dead. It was covered in brown flowers!!

[Planet Midwife]

Thanks Lesley...I shall go and get a soil testing kit...how do you increase the acidity if it is too low?

Also what should the soils PH be in our main veggie plot.....onions, leeks, beetroot, peas and sweetcorn...all growing very well to my surprise, but just wondering what it should be?

Thanks

[tigerella]

Hi,
My blueberry bush was quite sickly to begin with and even tho I'm doing everything I can, it's taking a long time to fully recover.
I'm growing in pots but have ericaceous compost, regular ericaceous and seaweed feeds and also never let the thirsty fellas dry out.
Keep going and you'll get gorgeous blueberries soon enough!